Gokulam Kerala hand contract extension to young forward Rahul KP

The 21-year-old had netted five goals in the final leg of Santosh Trophy 2017-18 to help Kerala emerge victorious.

In a bid to promote home grown talents, Gokulam Kerala FC have renewed the contract of forward Rahul KP.  

A product of Gokulam Kerala FC academy, the 21-year-old forward from Kasargod broke into the senior squad last year. Before joining the senior team, he was part of the reserve team and GKFC’s under-18 academy setup.  

Touted as one of the emerging youngsters from Gokulam Kerala FC academy, he was picked for GKFC’s title-winning Durand Cup campaign, Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup, and I-League last year. Mostly he played in the wings for Malabarians last season and made four appearances. He has two assists from the four matches, he played.

Rahul KP came into limelight when he became the joint top-scorer with another Malabarian Jithin MS in Kerala’s triumphant 2017-18 Santosh Trophy season. He netted five goals in the final leg to help Kerala bring back the prestigious trophy to home after a 13-year-long gap.   

“Gokulam Kerala FC is the club that has made me dream big. I have been part of Gokulam Kerala FC during academy years and now I am extremely happy to represent the club for three more years. The club is like a home to me and I am proud to be a Malabarian,” said Rahul KP upon extending his contract.

“This promising youngster has lot of potential to emerge as one of the best strikers in India. He has moved up the ladder starting from our U-18, reserve team and finally in to the Senior team last year. We at GKFC in recognition of his hard work, commitment and the desire to excel extended his contract for a further period of 3 years which he deserves,” said Dr. B Ashok Kumar, the CEO of GKFC.

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“The contract extension of Rahul KP is an example of how we aim to steer the club forward. He is a player who has come through our academies and with consistent performance we have awarded him with a contract extension. It is a great pleasure to see our local players getting opportunity through our club,” said Gokulam Gopalan, the chairman of GKFC.